Hermaphroditic shielded self-shorting electrical connectors are known in the market and in the patent literature.
A standard to which many of the electrical connectors are designed is set forth in IBM Technical Publication GA27-3773-1 at paragraph 5 and appendices B.2 and B.3., termed the Technical Interface Specification of the IBM Cabling System.
U.S. Pat. Re. No. 32,760 describes a hermaphroditic self-shorting electrical connector including a two-part connector shield defining plural cable access openings and a shunt arrangement wherein the contact portions of terminals are resiliently deformable from positions engaging shunt means in an unmated condition of the connector to positions spaced from the shunt means in a mated condition of the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,778 describes a two-part electrical connector shield having resilient inturned cable gripping lips. U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,376 describes an electrical connector including shunt bars having integrally formed dependent tines. U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,833 describes an electrical connector including shunt means fixed to a dielectric carrier which moves relative to the housing in response to mating engagement of the connector with a similar connector. The shunt means engage the contact terminals remote from contact tongues thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,906 describes a shielded electrical connector for shielded cable. U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,825 describes a lower mutually engageable shields and insulative cover means including connector latching members and comprising an integrally molded member covering the shields.
U.S. published patent application No. 87/03383 describes an electrical connector including two part shielding means and a premolded insulative cover fittable thereover. This patent shows structure which permits a self-grounding feature to be realized when a connector is mounted onto a connection panel having non-IBM standard connection apertures, using a special insulative adapter. U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,836 describes a shielded electrical connector including a conductor holding block which includes a pair of electrically conductive shorting elements. U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,494 describes and electrical connector having a housing including a plurality of selectably accessible cable ports. U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,193 describes an electrical connector including apparatus for permitting visual inspection of identifying indicia of leads and comparison thereof with corresponding indicia on a conductor holding block.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,507 describes an electrical connector with one type of apparatus for preventing inadvertent decoupling of mated connectors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,511 describes an electrical connector with another type of apparatus for preventing inadvertent decoupling of mated connectors.